Bogota’s Torre Colpatria, the second tallest building in South America, was chosen on Tuesday to host the Towerrunning 2011 finals for the second consecutive year.
The 50-story skyscraper is already home to the annual “Carrera Ascenso Torre Colpatria,” a stair-climbing race that begins in the street and ends at the top floor of the tower. The race is entering its 7th edition and includes 5,000 runners from eight countries with $50,000 in prize money. It is the only event of its kind in South America, according to the Towerrunning official website.
The all-time record for ascending the Torre Colpatria is five minutes and six seconds while the best time this year has been five minutes and fifteen seconds.
The Towerrunning circuit holds 160 races around the world with more than 200,000 participants in 28 nations, newspaper El Espectador reported.
The founder and director of Towerrunning, Michael Reichetzeder said, “The ‘Carrera Ascenso Torre Colpatria’ is one of the best racing circuits; the positive comments from foreign athletes that competed last year were the basis of the argument for holding Towerrunning 2011 in Bogota.”
The finals take place December 8 with the approval of the Colombian Federation of Athletics.
